Eat Voraciously: Chili to chase away the chill

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Here's what's for dinner tonight.

Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Chili.

By G. Daniela Galarza

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Chili to chase away the chill

Hi, all. Today's recipe is for Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Chili.

A sad note: This will be the last Eat Voraciously email sent from me, G. Daniela Galarza. I'm going to miss you all so, so much. If you would like to stay in touch, my personal email is danielagalarza@gmail.com.

Get today's recipe

This has been an especially stressful week. Uncertainty — about the world, about my country, about my livelihood — has kept me from sleeping through the night. Of course, life stops for nothing. One unexpected benefit of being a parent through these times is that it can force me out of my own head and back into the marvelous present.

On one of this winter's first really cold nights, while playing with my son, Cyrus, I decided to curl up in the fuzzy throw blanket on our couch. "Mama's going to get cozy," I told him as I wrapped myself up and lounged. It probably wasn't the first time he'd heard the word cozy, but it was the first time he saw it demonstrated so thoroughly.

"Cozy?" he asked softly, watching me tuck the blanket around my feet and legs. It sounded more like "kho-see" coming from his little mouth, the consonants tugging at his tongue, the vowels lingering on his lips.

"Cozy!" I repeated. "Do you want to get cozy with Mama?"

"Yes," he said, smiling, as he rushed toward the couch. I picked him up and pulled him under the blanket. He giggled and sighed and murmured, nuzzling into me as the blanket wrapped us in warmth.

Cozy.

Someone recently told me that they don't think food should be described as cozy, but that's the word that came to mind when I saw this recipe for a hearty chili made with sweet potatoes, beans and beer. It's from my colleague Aaron Hutcherson, The Post's Dinner in Minutes columnist, who decided to break all the rules (at least of a traditional Texas-style chili) when he dreamed it up.

I love how all of the seemingly disparate elements come together. As Aaron wrote, "Sweet potatoes, while unconventional, bring an unexpected flavor component to make the whole pot more exciting, with their natural sugars harmonizing with the umami of the beef and beans, the touch of acidity and bitterness from the tomato paste and beer, the whisper of spice from the seasonings, and, of course, salt, which amplifies the pot's collective flavor."

That sounds like a wonderfully warming and especially cozy meal to me.


	Today's Recipe

Adding beer to the chili. (Photos by Peggy Cormary/For The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky)

Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Chili

Find substitution suggestions and other tips below the recipe.

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Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Servings: 3 to 4 (makes about 6 cups)
Total time: 40 mins

Ingredients

1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
1 medium yellow onion (9 ounces), diced
1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 pound ground beef, preferably 90 percent lean
4 teaspoons chili powder, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons ground cumin, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more as needed
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 medium sweet potatoes (1 to 1 1/4 pounds total), peeled and cut into roughly 1/2-inch dice
One (15-ounce) can no-salt-added kidney beans, with their liquid
One (12-ounce) bottle dark beer, such as Modelo Negra
1/2 cup water
Sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced scallions, for serving

Steps

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the onion, salt and black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.

2. Add the beef, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper, and cook, stirring and breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste until incorporated, about 1 minute.

3. Add the sweet potatoes, beans and their liquid, beer, and water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the liquid is at a gentle simmer, cover partially and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, taste, and season with more salt, black pepper, chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper, as desired. Ladle the chili into bowls and serve hot, with sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced scallions.

From staff writer Aaron Hutcherson. Tested by Aaron Hutcherson.

Nutrition information per serving (1 1/2 cups), based on 4: Calories: 497; Total Fat: 16 g; Saturated Fat: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 52 g; Sodium: 809 mg; Cholesterol: 74 mg; Protein: 33 g; Dietary Fiber: 14 g; Sugar: 12 g.

Substitution suggestions + other tips and ideas:

Yellow onion >> any color onion.
Ground beef >> ground turkey or chicken, or a plant-based ground meat alternative.
Sweet potatoes >> butternut squash.
Canned kidney beans >> any canned beans or 1 1/2 cups home-cooked beans.
Alcohol-free? >> Use a nonalcoholic beer or 1 1/2 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth or stock